"You don't have to be a Mozart.."

Day 14...

Ahhh the piano.

The piano the piano. How I miss my shiny black Yamaha back in my living room. With ivory white keys and charcoal black keys. I remember my first piano lesson. Age 6. In the basement of Marlene Larsen's home. I fell in love with that instrument. I learned a lot from those lessons. My dance schedule was too busy to allow me to take lessons after school. So 6:45 AM lessons it was! Every Wednesday. Did I dread waking up for those lessons? Yep. Did I ever feel like giving up? Yep. But I didn't. Ya, I quit taking lessons in 9th grade...but I never gave up playing. I found myself on that piano more after I had quit lessons that while I was taking them. I was my own teacher now. I wanted to learn. I just didn't have the time to balance dance AND lessons. All of my church callings have been involved with music. From YW pianist...to ward choir accompanist...to Relief Society pianist...to ward chorister...to ward choir accompanist...yet again. I love having these callings.

Today, I needed to escape my apartments...my homework...my stress...my life. I didn't know how I was going to do that. I looked down at the sheet music for my ward choir that was sitting on my desk. Without even thinking, I picked it all up and walked out the door, got into my car and headed over to the ward building. Lo and behold... it was open. All I needed was the piano to be free. Amazingly enough...it was. I played and played and played. Mostly the choir music. But I started playing Jon Schmidt's "Waterfall". I forgot about the world for that period of time. I forgot about school, drama, stress and life in general. For that moment, it was just me. The piano. The music. The spirit. I needed that. I was bummed to look at the clock and see it read 7:20...time for 7:30 class. But I was just happy that I was able to have my own personal time for that hour. I LOVE playing the piano at home when no one is there. I open the piano lid to the highest level and just play my heart out. If I'm angry...I let it out on the piano...(without breaking it of course)...I play what my mood is and the piano plays along with me. Now I wouldn't say that I'm Beethoven, Mozart or Yanni. I just enjoy the passion I have for the piano. I'm so blessed to have music in my life.

"You don't have to be a Mozart...if you just play it from the heart..."

-Natasha Bedingfield